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I have two bulb aqualife t5Ho with separate reflectors for each bulb. Would this be better? Its also a 2x54w setup.

I switched to a two bulb T5. It has one 54w 10,000k bulb, and a 54w 6700k bulb. It has a separate reflector for each bulb. It is 4" above the water. Is this too low? I have it on a timer set for 8 hrs a day. I hope this works along with th pressurized Co2 and Ferts daily..

I have two bulb aqualife t5Ho with separate reflectors for each bulb. Would this be better? Its also a 2x54w setup.

I switched to a two bulb T5. It has one 54w 10,000k bulb, and a 54w 6700k bulb. It has a separate reflector for each bulb. It is 4" above the water. Is this too low? I have it on a timer set for 8 hrs a day. I hope this works along with th pressurized Co2 and Ferts daily

10-16-2012 09:42 PM

kjacks

I have two bulb aqualife t5Ho with separate reflectors for each bulb. Would this be better? Its also a 2x54w setup.

10-16-2012 08:05 PM

stevenjohn21

The light fixture you have is known to have a low end reflector/ballasts which means another company's exact same fixture will produce more PAR than your oddysea.
When i first started i opted for a cheap fixture and bought the 4x18 T5ho fixture for my 10 gallon tank. I run all 4 lights and find its perfect for this setup. However if i had got say a Catalina fixture i would have only needed a single light fixture for the same results. With regards to how much C02, just keep checking your fish, obviously if they are gasping for air then you have too much.

10-16-2012 07:57 PM

somewhatshocked

Watts Per Gallon is no longer really a thing - especially with modern planted tanks. The reason? Please refer to lighting stickies for details about PAR.

The reason, in short: 26watts of CFL lighting directly over a 10gal tank is way more light than that same 26w bulb would deliver if suspended three feet above the tank.

10-16-2012 07:41 PM

kjacks

What about the wpg rule? Does it differ from tank to tank? How much is too much?

10-15-2012 08:48 PM

kjacks

I am currently running an oddysea 4 bulb t5 with 6700k bulbs and moonlight led's. I also had an aqualife 2 bulb t5 6700k, but took it off.. the 4 bulb is 5" above the water.... should it be mounted higher?? also the co2 has not kicked on all day. I am using a PH controller to dose co2, with a set point of 6.8... should the co2 be setup differently??? Just want to make sure enough co2 is present without gassing... ordered a drop checker, but is not here yet...

10-15-2012 02:25 PM

stevenjohn21

Just keep dosing your ferts and check Hoppys light chart, keep your light on high and as much C02 as your fish will allow and the reds should come.

4 Wpg is a lot, riccia and glosso can grow in half of that with plenty of c02 . If you have a drop checker then add as much c02 as you can to get the DC fluid turn green and add a bubble of c02 each day , making sure the fish arntgasping for air. Every tank is different so nobody will have a lot of answers ... It's a trial and error situation and one of the few things that your on your own with in this hobby. Regarding dosing , just follow the seachem chart for a week or 2 and see how the plants react, if you need to add more of one fert then do so. Again every tank is different.

Thank you. I currently don't have a drop checker, but i will be purchasing one asap. Another question is how to keep the red plants red? And i have some rotala indica that old leaves are browning on the edges and growth seems to be stunted. Any suggestions?

10-14-2012 04:20 AM

stevenjohn21

4 Wpg is a lot, riccia and glosso can grow in half of that with plenty of c02 . If you have a drop checker then add as much c02 as you can to get the DC fluid turn green and add a bubble of c02 each day , making sure the fish arntgasping for air. Every tank is different so nobody will have a lot of answers ... It's a trial and error situation and one of the few things that your on your own with in this hobby. Regarding dosing , just follow the seachem chart for a week or 2 and see how the plants react, if you need to add more of one fert then do so. Again every tank is different.

I have a fairly new 75g high tech, high light tank set up. I really need another opinion on this. Its been a while since my last aquarium setup. I have t5 6700k @ a little over 4wpg. Pressurized co2, w/sms 122 controller, ph set at 6.8. Co2 reactor. Fluval canister filter. Flourite substrate (3" deep). Full line of seachem ferts, according to seachems website schedule. I have a few rasbora tetras, 3 black mollies, 3 cory cats, 2 chinese algae eaters, 2 botia coaches, and a few shrimp... I want to grow riccia, glosso, and some red plants. My question is, how high do the lights need to be off the water? How should i be dosing ferts? What about co2 dosing? Just want some feedback... Thank you.

Nobody can help?

10-13-2012 08:59 PM

kjacks

New high tech tank

I have a fairly new 75g high tech, high light tank set up. I really need another opinion on this. Its been a while since my last aquarium setup. I have t5 6700k @ a little over 4wpg. Pressurized co2, w/sms 122 controller, ph set at 6.8. Co2 reactor. Fluval canister filter. Flourite substrate (3" deep). Full line of seachem ferts, according to seachems website schedule. I have a few rasbora tetras, 3 black mollies, 3 cory cats, 2 chinese algae eaters, 2 botia coaches, and a few shrimp... I want to grow riccia, glosso, and some red plants. My question is, how high do the lights need to be off the water? How should i be dosing ferts? What about co2 dosing? Just want some feedback... Thank you.